Olympic marathoners Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan say the Bolder Boulder is on their bucket lists when it comes to prestigious races they would like to run, but while both will be at the race Monday, neither is competing.

The former rivals turned training partners say the Bolder Boulder doesn't fit well into their workout regimen, which is entering its heavy phase in the lead up to the games in London in August. Flanagan was the first-place qualifier for the American team for the marathon and Goucher was third.

"My teammate and I were invited by the Bolder Boulder and we definitely discussed it, but in the end, our coach just felt like it didn't fit properly with the preparation right now," Goucher said.

It's somewhat of a surprise that Goucher, a former University of Colorado track and cross-country national champion, never ran the race during her time running for the Buffs. She said she was always still competing or dealing with injuries on race day during her CU career.

Flanagan, a former collegiate star at North Carolina, says she will come back to Boulder and race in the Bolder Boulder at some point in the future and when she does, she won't be the first in her family to complete the historic 10K. Flanagan was born in Boulder and lived here until she was 6. Both her parents and her sister, who lives in Fort Collins, have participated in the citizen's race.

Flanagan said she has memories of sitting in the stadium on race day waiting for her family members to complete the course.

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"It's on my bucket list of races to run," Flanagan said. "It's just funny. If you're a track athlete, it seems to fall in a strange place and with the setup of my schedule it just hasn't worked out, but I can't wait for the day."

The two women will be meeting and greeting fans and signing autographs Monday at the RaceDay EXPO outside the south end of Folsom Field. Boulder is one stop for them supporting the Nissan Innovation for Endurance campaign.

The campaign is a fitness program that aims to help people increase their performance. The duo will be at the Innovation for Endurance solar-powered trailer and interactive consumer experience where those who drop by can participate in a bike challenge, take a fitness test, enter a sweepstakes to win a Nissan vehicle or simply chat with an Olympian.

"It's about helping people with their fitness goals and to reach new levels with their fitness," Goucher said. "It's just a really good fit for us. It's about getting the most out of yourself and not being afraid to make changes."

Goucher knows something about that fear. Within the last year she has changed coaches and teams and has committed to a new event. Now she is nine weeks from her second Olympics.

Goucher and Flanagan are schedule to run 22 miles together on Sunday before flying to Boulder. They are in the midst of two-a-day workouts that generally include at least 90 minutes of running in the morning followed by an hour in the weight room. They come back with a shorter run in the afternoon.

"I run twice a day every day, except if I run 22 miles or longer in the morning, I'll reward myself with the afternoon off," Goucher said.

Flanagan said it's nice to be working with Goucher these days as opposed to the past when they were fierce competitors. They have already run the marathon course together in London once. Both hope to run their best marathon so far at the games.

"Our friendship started off on a rivalry basis," Flanagan said. "We always knew we really liked each other, but we were definitely big time rivals. It really started to formulate into being training partners when she left her other coach this past fall.

"I just knew we could do something special together if we joined forces. I think we're in a unique position. Not many elite women train together. I think that is going to elevate our performances, not just this summer but for the rest of our careers."

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